Happy Holidays from NERCRD

December 18, 2024

As 2024 winds down, we at the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development are reflecting — with gratitude — on the people and partnerships that make our work possible. Whether you are a long-time collaborator or are just getting to know us, thank you for connecting with NERCRD! The NERCRD will be closed for a holiday break from December 24, 2024 through January 1, 2025. We wish you a joyous and peaceful holiday season!

Workshop expanded regional Extension capacity

December 9, 2024

Through a partnership facilitated by the Association of Northeast Extension Directors (NEED) Association, the Center recently collaborated with Dr. Justine Lindemann (Assistant Professor) and Cristy Schmidt (Senior Research Associate) from Penn State University to design and deliver the Northeast Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) Workshop, which was hosted by University of Delaware Extension in Newark, Delaware, from November 11-14, 2024.

Congratulations to Claudia Schmidt, recipient of Northeast “Excellence in Extension” award!

November 19, 2024

Claudia Schmidt, assistant professor of marketing and local/regional food systems in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and NERCRD Faculty Affiliate, received this year’s Northeast Region Excellence in Extension Award for an Individual, presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Cooperative Extension System’s Extension Committee on Organization and […]

Two-day conference for BIPOC farmers marks new milestone for First State African American Farmers’ Association

November 5, 2024

The First State African American Farmers’ Association (FSAAFA) has partnered with Delaware State University College of Agriculture, Science and Technology and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to create a conference to address the needs of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Farmers. The conference is taking place November 12-13, 2024, at Delaware State University, and features farm tours, interactive technology demonstrations, and a youth drone-flying competition, among other highlights.

NERCRD Webinar (recording available): Engaging Extension and Community Partners for the Creation of Active Transportation Plans

Tuesday, December 10 at 1:00 p.m. ET — The next NERCRD webinar will feature Penn State Extension’s Leadership and Community Vitality team members Neal Fogle and John Turack, who will share their experiences of working with Huntingdon County, PA, on the development and implementation of an Active Transportation Plan (ATP) in collaboration with PA WalkWorks, a PA Department of Health initiative. Learn more and register here.

Report provides details on minority-owned businesses in Northeast states

October 29, 2024

A new research report provides detailed information about minority-owned businesses in the Northeast region. The report, written by West Virginia University’s Xiaoyin Li and Heather M. Stephens and NERCRD’s Stephan Goetz, highlights the differences in minority entrepreneurship across the region, which in turn can support the development of policies to promote minority business development.

Reflections on the Maryland Digital Equity Summit

October 29, 2024

Congratulations to the University of Maryland organizers of the 2024 Maryland Digital Equity Summit, which was held on October 15th in Baltimore. NERCRD Associate Director Stephen Alessi had the opportunity to attend the event and to serve as a panelist discussing the role of higher education in digital equity solutions. Read more for Alessi’s takeaways from the event.

Congratulations to NERCRD research assistant, Dr. Yuxuan Pan!

October 17, 2024

Congratulations to Yuxuan Pan, a Northeast Center research assistant who successfully defended her doctoral dissertation in Agricultural Economics on October 7. Pan’s dissertation explores the impacts of COVID-19 on mental health, disparities in nutritional quality, and the effects of soda taxes on household purchases. Pan will be joining the University of Kentucky as a postdoctoral researcher in December. She will continue providing research support to NERCRD through November.

New report examines Land-Grant University capacity to support outdoor recreation economies

October 15, 2024

A new report sheds light on the readiness of Land-Grant Universities (LGUs) to support the development of outdoor recreation economies around U.S. national forests, and identifies the places best positioned to allocate resources for recreation economy programming. It draws on an assessment conducted earlier this year by West Virginia University Rural Tourism Specialist Doug Arbogast in partnership with the National Extension Outdoor Recreation Working Group and the Regional Rural Development Centers.

Welcoming NERCRD’s newest team member, Dr. Minsu Kim!

October 8, 2024

The NERCRD team is pleased to welcome the newest postdoctoral scholar, Dr. Minsu Kim, who joined the Center on October 3rd. Minsu is an energy, environmental, and urban/regional economist who focuses on topics in energy transition and urban/regional sustainability, with an emphasis on optimal policy, technology adoption, consumer behavior, and local policy implementation. While at […]